A Water-Cooled Refrigerant Air Dryer is a type of compressed air dryer that uses water to cool and condense moisture in the air. These dryers are commonly used in industrial applications where there’s a need to reduce the humidity level in compressed air systems.
Here’s how it works:
- Compression of Air: Compressed air enters the dryer, carrying moisture (water vapor).
- Cooling Process: The compressed air passes through a heat exchanger, where it is cooled by a constant flow of water. This cooling process causes the moisture in the air to condense into liquid form.
- Separation of Moisture: The condensed moisture is then separated from the air, typically by gravity or centrifugal force and is drained away.
- Dried Air: The now-dried air is then released, having significantly lower levels of moisture.
Water-Cooled Air Dryers are particularly useful when there is a reliable source of cooling water, such as in industrial settings where the cooling water can be reused, making them energy-efficient in some contexts. They are often used for applications requiring clean, dry air, such as pneumatic tools, food production, electronics manufacturing and other sensitive processes.
